Presidential Excellence Awards Announced

Two faculty members and a University committee were recognized on Tuesday with Presidential Excellence Awards for extraordinary service to the campus.

The award honors those who have gone above and beyond in their contributions to the university or have attained national or international accolades for their professional activities. Dr. Robert Fuller, Dr. Olatunji Dare, and the Civil Rights: Past and Present Committee received the recognition.

Dr. Robert Fuller
Professor of Religious Studies
Dr. Fuller pioneered the campus honors program in 1986, introducing high achieving, motivated students to a community where independent thought, versatility and development of knowledge are highly valued and nurtured.

His work provided honors graduates with the cerebral nimbleness and solid work ethic to thrive in the top graduate schools in the country or to make a dynamic entry into the professional workforce. Fuller is a recognized authority on American religious thought and has received national and international acclaim for the compelling manner in which he ties concepts of religion with the social sciences. He is a Caterpillar Professor of Religious Studies has earned the Samuel Rothberg Professional Excellence Award and the Charles M. Putnam Award for Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Olatunji Dare
Professor of Journalism
Dr. Dare is a source of inspiration both in the classroom and in the international journalism and political communities. As a newspaper correspondent, he has filed stories from more than a dozen countries on three continents and has reported from the White House. He draws upon these diverse experiences in the classroom, where he has instructed students on communication theory and related topics for seventeen years. In his home country of Nigeria, he remains one of the country’s most respected newspaper columnists and best loved satirists, formerly serving as the chairman and editorial page editor of “The Guardian” newspaper, and, now, as a columnist with “The Nation” newspaper.

Among his many professional accomplishments are his service as a consultant to the United States Agency for International Development and the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom Foreign Office.

Civil Rights: Past and Present Committee
The university-wide committee was recognized for organizing and leading the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 during the last school year.  An engaging and thought-provoking series of events was planned to celebrate this milestone in American History. A broad range of scholars, professionals, and luminaries visited the campus, including Lilly Ledbetter, Dr. Bernice Sandler, Dr. Terrance Roberts, and Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.  Other activities included screenings of the movies “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “42” as well as trial reenactments, a poetry contest and the staging of the award-winning play “A Raisin In The Sun.”

Committee members are:

Dr. Stacey Robertson, Co-Chair
Bradley McMillan, Co-Chair
Nicole Meyer
Julie Schifeling
Dr. Rita Ali
Susan Andrews
Renee Charles
Norris Chase
Thomas Coy
Dr. R Craig Curtis
Joseph Dalfonso
Barbara Mantz Drake
Angie Green
Dr. David Glassman
Rebekah Gudeman
Dr. Robert Hawkins
Megan Jaskowiak
Frances Jones
Scott Kanoff
Janet Lange
Dr. Regina Pope-Ford
Dr. Edward Sattler
Dr. Joan Sattler
Steve Snyder
Dr. Larry Weinzimmer